Email: anthony.reeve@stonebow.otago.ac.nz

Professor Tony Reeve has a notable career in cancer research. His work in the Cancer Genetics Laboratory is focussed on the molecular mechanisms of tumour suppressor genes, growth factors, and imprinted genes. He is internationally recognised for his work on Wilms tumour - a paediatric kidney tumour - demonstrating the importance of tumour suppressor genes, growth factors such as insulin-like growth factor 2, and the disruption that occurs to the genomic imprinting mechanism of specific genes. He also has an interest in cancer genomics particularly as applied to colorectal cancer. By using high throughput gene expression his group showed that low cellular proliferation and an increased adaptive immune response are both hallmarks of poor prognosis for this disease. In addition to the Cancer Genetics Laboratory Professor Reeve also directs the Otago Genomics Facility which specialises in high throughput gene technologies. He played a lead role in establishing NZ Genome Ltd, an infrastructure which will provide a NZ wide network for genome technologies and biostatistical support.

Professor Reeve is a board member of the Health Research Council (NZ) and chair of the Biomedical Research Committee. He is or has served on several editorial boards including Genes Chromosomes and Cancer, Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Genomic Medicine, Genome Letters, NZ Medical Journal and The International DNA Methylation Society.

He was awarded the first medal for Health Research in NZ Ð the Sir Charles Hercus Medal. He is an Honorary member of the NZ Society of Paediatrics, a Fellow of the Royal Society of NZ and was appointed as an Officer of The NZ Order of Merit for services to medical sciences.

In the News:
University of Otago Magazine 2007
NZ Herald, 24 November 2006: DNA clues mean old drugs can work as well as new
University of Otago - "Reaching for the Stars" 10/11/05 (PDF Document)
University of Otago Press 11/8/05
ODT 13/8/05
HRC - Leading the way in genetics and epigenetics - 2004 (PDF Document)
ODT 25/03/03
Royal Society 2002
ODT 18/5/02
ODT 3/6/02

Our research group is concentrating on identifying the causes of stomach cancer, with an emphasis on the inherited form of the disease. About 10% of all cancer is due to an inherited predisposition to the disease. This familial cancer occurs because a defective gene is being passed down the generations in the family. In 1998, we identified a defective gene that leads to familial stomach cancer. We first identified the gene during a collaborative research project with three maori families with long histories of this form of cancer. Its identification has enabled us to screen these high risk families for carriers of the defective gene and then concentrate clinical resources on those carriers. It is hoped that this increased surveillance will lead to early cancer detection, and therefore a very high chance of a cure.

We and colleagues in the UK and US, have so far identified 24 families worldwide - from all ethnic groups - who are able to benefit from this stomach cancer gene testing. The willingness of one Maori family to tackle the problem has thus led to families all around the world taking the upper hand in the fight against this disease.

I am also the Research Director for a company called Pacific Edge Biotechnology Limited. This company is a start up Biomedical company based upon a combination of skill and resources. The Company's objective is to develop novel diagnostics and disease management and drug discovery tools based upon identifying unique sets of genes which define specific types of tumours and other tissues. The Company combines expertise in cancer genetics, micro-array technology and proprietary bioinformatics in a fashion which we believe provides a competitive advantage over programs with similar aims.

My role is general laboratory organisation and joint purchasing for the groups within the laboratory.

I am also involved in doing some benchwork with cell culture being my major area of expertise.

Qualifications:
BSc at Otago University in Microbiology.
BSc (Otago), DMLT, DipGrad (Otago)

Dr Ryuji Fukuzawa (Pictured with Dr David Becroft)

Email: ryuji.fukuzawa@stonebow.otago.ac.nz

Picture: Dr David Becroft is a world famous perinatal and paediatric pathologist based in New Zealand. His clinical and pathologic insights have greatly contributed to the Cancer Genetics Laboratory, which resulted in several outstanding publications, including 1993 Nature Genetics, 1996 Nature Medicine, 2004 Lancet

I used to work as a paediatrician at Keio University and Yokosuka Kyosai Hospitals in Japan and was interested in the association between congenital anomalies and paediatric cancers. After becoming a qualified paediatrician I started to work on the molecular biology of paediatric cancers and I was trained as an anatomic pathologist at Keio University Hospital and Tokyo Metropolitan Kiyose Children's Hospital. My research has focused at the intersection of molecular and anatomic pathology in the study of Wilms tumour and the related tumour-predisposing malformation syndromes (Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, Denys-Drash syndrome, genitourinary malformation). Reading publications from Professor Reeve and his colleagues which showed early childhood overgrowth and tumorigenesis were linked through an imprinting mechanism was my inspiration to come to New Zealand. The study of Wilms tumour-associated malformation syndromes in Japan became a basis for my current research and this has since lead to a classification of Wilms tumour based on molecular pathology and inter-ethnic differences in the molecular pathogenesis of Wilms tumours (2002 & 2004 Lancet, 2004 Nature Reviews Cancer. I am now collaborating with Drs Beckwith and Breslow in the National Wilms Tumor Study Group which is based in North America to investigate the molecular epidemiology and pathogenesis of Wilms tumour.

Publications On BioInfoBank Library

Dr Helena Koltai

Email: helenakoltai@gmail.com

I am a visiting researcher from the University of Amsterdam.

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Marie Hazlett (Technical Assistant)

Email: marie.hazlett@stonebow.otago.ac.nz

I've been working in the Biochemistry Department since 1988. My position in the Cancer Genetics Laboratory involves assisting everyone in the lab with duties ranging from pouring gels, obtaining library references to making solutions and generally keeping the cogs oiled.

I also work for Pacific Edge Biotechnology

Dr Bostjan Humar

Ahmad Anjomshoaa:

Past Members: Contact Information

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